


Protocol: 'Summer Home'

by MassiveSpaceWren



Series: The Sunshine Protocols [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Canon Divergence - Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, First Aid, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Secret Relationship, probably inaccurate first aid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-05
Updated: 2016-09-05
Packaged: 2018-08-13 07:09:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7967272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MassiveSpaceWren/pseuds/MassiveSpaceWren
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Tony got an alert about movement in a building he had under surveillance, Tony knew it was serious. He had to act immediately, and go alone, because this was personal.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Protocol: 'Summer Home'

**Author's Note:**

> A big thank you to dapperanachronism for beta reading!
> 
> There are some injuries, that didn’t seem overly graphic to me. Just in case there are detailed warnings in the end notes.

Tony was elbow deep into an engine when JARVIS turned down his music to speak over it. "Sir, I believe one of your _‘summer home’_ alerts has been triggered."

Tony stood up, wiping most of the engine grease off his hands, and turned towards the screens. 

"Give me the surveillance cam feed." The screens flashed, showing a run down, abandoned building. Tony zoomed in on the windows that were taped shut with old newspaper. The headline on the newspaper was clearly facing sideways. "Replay the scene, J." Moments later, the video feed started with the same window, but a different paper taped to it. Suddenly someone inside the building ripped off the old newspaper, and taped the new one in place. Not even the hands were visible in the short time it happened.

Tony frowned. "Any calls for me?" When JARVIS denied, Tony swallowed and stared for a moment, before getting ready with quick, efficient movements. Washing his hands thoroughly, he mentally made a list of all the things he should grab. He needed to get going, and fast.

###

Late as it was, it was easier to walk through the streets without people actually paying attention to him. Tony had still opted for a cheap pair of lightly toned sunglasses, and had only put on a dark jacket over his worn jeans and faded t-shirt. An old cap that shadowed his eyes even more completed his outfit. No one should recognize him. No one expected Tony Stark to walk around like that.

Arriving outside the warehouse, he slowed and stepped into the shadows of the building, waiting for a moment to see if someone had followed him. After both he and JARVIS confirmed they couldn't see anyone, Tony grabbed the bag he was carrying tighter and snuck towards the boarded up door to the warehouse. Looking over his shoulder one last time, he tested the boards, and then pushed one that was not nailed shut open and slipped in.

The building was dark inside. Only a few rays of light were falling through the cracks in the boarded up windows, the thin newspaper letting some of the street lamp’s glow in. The floor was hard concrete, there were heaps of rubble around, but Tony couldn't make them out exactly in the dim light. He walked on, slowly, towards an unlit doorway he could barely see. After stepping through it, he took a moment to get used to the blackness, his body blocking the only source of light. He swallowed thickly, before moving forward. 

Tony couldn't see the tall, looming figure stepping behind him in the darkness. He wanted to take another tentative step into the room when a small intake of breath behind him made him startle and turn around sharply. A cold, metal hand closed around his arm and he was yanked forward and pushed against the wall harshly, the muscular body behind him pinning him down.

"Bucky, what the hell?" Tony choked out, in the same moment as Bucky let go as if burned and hastily stepped back.

"Tony, I-" He let out a short grunt of pain. "I'm sorry, couldn't be sure it would be you..."

"Well, the code we discussed said you needed help, so I came as fast as I could," Tony started, while rummaging through his bag for the battery powered lamp he had packed. "So, anyway, what happened?" He fumbled for the button for a moment. Then, the lamp's yellow light illuminated the small room. A gasp escaped Tony's throat when he actually saw Bucky. The right sleeve of his shirt was drenched in blood and he was swaying on his feet.

Bucky pressed his left hand against his head and winced. 

"I... I'm not sure... I was out in the streets, and there was this gang, they were going to rob someone, so I tried to stop them." Tony used Bucky's pliant state to get him to sit down on the old mattress Bucky used as a bed. "I was trying to hold back, I don't want to kill anyone... One of them hit me in the head with a baseball bat, I think, after that everything's a little hazy..."

While Bucky was retelling what he remembered, Tony took the time to unpack some of the medical equipment he brought and light a small petroleum lamp he found in the room. 

"You might be concussed. So it's normal if you feel a little confused right now.” He said, kneeling in front of Bucky. “I'm here, I'll help you. Please let me look at the rest of your injuries?" Bucky stared for a long moment, before the words sank in and he nodded. "I'll cut off your shirt, all right? Can't have you running around in this cheap stuff anymore, I'll buy you something nice later," Tony tried to joke, and smiled a little when Bucky let out a surprised chuckle. 

"Won't get me into that designer crap you threaten me with," he answered, smirking weakly. Trying to keep Bucky distracted, Tony made short work of the shirt. There was a huge dark red hematoma on Bucky's stomach and running along his right side. Tony sucked in a sharp breath when Bucky groaned in pain, and tried to keep from touching the bruises, while looking for other injuries. Six deep gashes twisted around Bucky's right arm, the worst one across his upper arm. Tony quickly checked Bucky's legs, but didn't find anything worse than a small bruise, so he decided to take care of the worst knife wound first. When he crouched in front of Bucky, Bucky sluggishly looked at Tony, dazed.

"Bucky, I need you to listen, ok? You're hurt, and we need to take care of the wounds-"

"No hospitals, no doctors," Bucky interrupted him, half desperate and half scared.

Tony sighed and squeezed Bucky's metal hand for a second. "I know, I know. It's only me. I'll help as well as I can." He took a deep breath. "I need to clean the wounds, that will hurt. Do you want some kind of anaesthetic or painkillers?"

"No, Tony, please, no... don't do that to me..." Bucky's voice was soft and the words came out slightly slurred, but Tony had already known what his answer would be. They had talked about Bucky's worries about being operated on while sedated, sometimes, late at night, when Bucky was tired but couldn't sleep and their hushed conversation covered deeper, darker topics. Tony swallowed hard.

"I will disinfect and dress the wounds. There will be pain, but you’ll get better afterwards. I need you to hold still, ok?" Tony tried to sound calm, letting Bucky know how worried he was would not help. Bucky nodded in agreement, eyes unfocused.  
Tony fell silent, carefully putting on the sterile plastic gloves, getting ready to clean the wound, unaware of how tense Bucky had gotten.

The moment the disinfectant made contact with Bucky's wounds, he howled in pain. The next thing Tony felt was the metal hand pushing him, throwing him across the room where he hit the ground hard. He looked up with a groan, right at the dangerously growling Super Soldier kneeling above him. Bucky's eyes were wild and he bared his teeth.

If Bucky attacked for real, Tony wouldn’t stand a chance. He glanced at his wristband, knowing he could try to attack and run, and might even get away, with how injured Bucky was. Tony moved his hand, reaching for the mechanism to unlock the Iron Man glove, but Bucky slapped his hand to the side and pinned his arm down with his knee. _Who am I kidding,_ Tony thought. _I can’t leave him here like that anyway._

Tony could see Bucky’s movement tug at his cuts. It had to be hurting Bucky, but in his rage he didn’t seem to notice. He pressed his arm to Tony’s chest, snarling. Tony tried to suck in a breath and not panic. If Bucky wouldn’t snap out of it, there was a good chance Tony would die here. He tried to lie as still as possible. 

"Bucky. Bucky!" When he got Bucky's attention, Tony lowered his voice again. "It's ok, I'm on your side, I'm trying to help you." Tony concentrated on slowing his breathing. "Here, breathe with me, it's going to be fine."

After what felt like an eternity, but was probably only a few minutes, Bucky calmed down, and started mumbling apologies. He got up, groaning in pain, the sudden movements aggravating and straining his injuries. Tony came to his feet and pulled the now dirty gloves off. He ran a hand over his shoulder and moved it experimentally, before turning to Bucky, half grinning. "I finish patching you up, then you patch me up?"

Bucky stumbled back, his face pinched in worry. "Tony, I'm sorry, I never meant to..."

"It was a joke! Come on, lighten up." Tony smiled wobbly. "Let's try this again, shall we?"

Bucky nodded slowly, and settled down in the same spot as before. Tony sank down next to him, pulling on fresh gloves and mumbling about how he brought extras after he’d been told that  beginners often mess up putting on the gloves while keeping them sterile. He leaned closer to Bucky. "Will you be ok with this?" he asked, serious again.

"Yeah, just... keep talking?" Bucky ground out, obviously trying to prepare for the pain. Tony started a rant about everything and nothing, while cleaning the wounds gently but thoroughly, making sure they were clear. Luckily the wounds mostly stopped bleeding. Tony looked at Bucky's face again to gauge his reaction, but while Bucky was breathing harder and letting out a few small whimpers, he sat unmoving. Tony gave Bucky a moment to breathe and prepare himself for the next wave of pain. He grabbed the skin glue before trying to keep his patient distracted with a crazy story of his and Rhodey's days at MIT. He carefully pulled the gash closed and applied the glue, making sure nothing actually got into the wound. When it was dry, he wrapped a bandage around it.

After the worst cut was done, Tony took care of the smaller ones too, while trying to keep the mood light. By the time he was finished, Bucky looked exhausted. Tony packed up the medical equipment and crouched in front of Bucky. 

"Hey, we're all done. Nothing much I can do about your stomach or the concussion, but I think your fast healing and some rest should take care of that." Bucky nodded slowly, a small smirk on his lips. 

"Am I gonna patch you up now? 'You still hurt?"

Tony scoffed. "You could kiss it better if you want."

Bucky chuckled and slumped forward, leaving Tony with his arms full of Super Soldier, and trying not to touch any of the injuries. Bucky rested his forehead on Tony's shoulder and pressed a light kiss to it, before turning his head and nuzzling Tony's neck.

"Better?" he asked.

"Much better," Tony answered, smiling. Bucky shuddered, clinging to Tony. 

“I’m sorry I hurt you…” Bucky swallowed before pressing on. “You shouldn’t have to.... I…” He took in a shaking breath. “Thank you for being here.”

Tony softly let his hand rest on the back of Bucky’s head, just holding him close. “It’s fine, I’m fine, I know you didn’t do it on purpose.” 

Tony continued to hug Bucky, until Bucky let out a soft “Ow”. With a supporting grip, Tony carefully guided Bucky down onto the mattress, into a position lying on his back. 

"Do me a favour and actually rest," Tony said fondly. Bucky's hand curled around Tony's wrist, holding him tight. "I'm going to stay and watch you, to make sure your head won't get worse."

"Don't you have to get back?" Bucky asked, watching Tony, his eyes half lidded.

"Eh, the Avengers can get by without me for one day. And JARVIS has enough instructions to keep them from finding out where I went." Tony leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to Bucky's lips, before settling down, sitting on the mattress beside him. "Sooo, can I stay in your bed?" Tony asked, waggling his eyebrows. Bucky chuckled lightly before wincing a little. 

"Now he asks. Has me down to my underwear and is already in my bed. Incorrigible."

Tony could tell that Bucky was already drifting off to sleep. He pulled a blanket over Bucky and put his hand lightly on Bucky's left shoulder, letting him know he was still there. 

"Good night. Don't worry, I'll watch over you." Bucky only let out a confirming grunt, before he fell asleep, a soft smile on his face.

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings: Bucky has some injuries (concussion, hematoma, deep cuts), and Tony takes care of the cuts. Bucky has some mood swings due to the concussion.
> 
> I put way too much research into what kind of injuries don't kill you if you don't go to the hospital. That being said: Do NOT try to sew/glue your cuts on your own, do not ignore hematoma or concussion; go to a hospital. Especially if the concussion causes slurred speech or changes in physical coordination and behaviour (as the internet told me). Skin glue is actually a thing, and while some places usually get sewn (as the internet told me), a med student told me that gluing is a lot easier to get done for untrained people. And apparently people actually mess up putting on gloves while keeping them sterile.
> 
> Thank you for reading!  
> Kudos and comments would be much appreciated :)
> 
> This was supposed to be a short thing, but my brain already came up with a backstory and a lot of further plot, so there is a tiny chance this might not be the last thing set in this AU.


End file.
